End Of The Bush Era (E.J.Dionne)

[Carla in Ca]

If Bush had understood that his central task was to forge national unity, as he seemed to shortly after Sept. 11, the country would never have become so polarized. Instead, Bush put patriotism to the service of narrowly ideological policies and an extreme partisanship. He pushed for more tax cuts for his wealthiest supporters and shamelessly used relatively modest details in the bill creating a Department of Homeland Security as partisan cudgels in the 2002 elections.

He invoked our national anger over terrorism to win support for a war in Iraq. But he failed to pay heed to those who warned that the United States would need many more troops and careful planning to see the job through. The president assumed things would turn out fine, on the basis of wildly optimistic assumptions. Careful policymaking and thinking through potential flaws in your approach are not his administration's strong suits.

And so the Bush Era ended definitively on Sept. 2, the day Bush first toured the Gulf Coast States after Hurricane Katrina. There was no magic moment with a bullhorn. The utter failure of federal relief efforts had by then penetrated the country's consciousness. Yesterday's resignation of FEMA Director Michael Brown put an exclamation point on the failure.


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<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/12/AR2005091201433.html>

[Carla in Ca]

1. Sorry for the dupe.

n/t

[MnFats]

2. Bush must go. He's got to resign.

His term is over in every way except officially.

[Carla in Ca]

3. I can't believe he really wants to spend the next 3 years

overseeing the reconstruction of the Gulf Coast and Iraq, not to mention how we will pay for it. We will also have long-term care and relocation of all the people who lost so much.
I'm sure he would just love to slither back to Crawford and be done with the mess he has made of our country...I wish he would.

[napi21]

4. I like the piece, but isn't EJ Dionne a Pub? I know I've seen him

on a number of talk show panels and he always seemed to be supporting the Pubs???

I hope he's right on this one though. There have been so many events that we all thought would bring Shrub down, and he just bobbed back up again. (And the call BC the come back kid!) I'm going to wait until there's a lot more proof before I believe any of it is real.

[Carla in Ca]

5. I always thought he was but

his recent articles have been pretty honest about this nightmare WH. He seems to have drifted to the light.

[rkc3]

6. Katrina is just one more item to add to the list of fuck ups that should

have ended this administration. Like Rasputin, bush always manages to shrug off the worst of things.

In six months, a new reporter will write a new article telling us how the latest terror attack/high energy prices/giveaway to cronies/disaster/whatever spells the end of bush.

[Carla in Ca]

7. I agree...

but the assault isn't over. Tenet may do a 'tell all' book if he doesn't want to take the fall for 9/11. The Plame investigation will be done soon. The media have awakened a bit. We need to do our best to make sure they don't go back to sleep again!

[rasputin1952]

15. ACK!!!! you mentioned Rasputin!!!!! I NEVER shrugged off the

important things!!!!!

:crazy:

[rodeodance]

8. in he on our side folks and has been.

[cliss]

9. Great article, great writer.

The winds have shifted. And they are not blowing in Bush's favor.

I can tell you I'm going to enjoy the next 3 years immensely. I paid my dues. We all have.

Now I'm going to enjoy watching Bush deteriorate right before my eyes. And I'll not feel sorry for him, not 1 second.

Bush is finished.

[Carla in Ca]

10. You are so mean!

You are really going to sit there and watch that poor man suffer...for three years?
I only have one question. May I join you?:toast:

[hogwyld]

11. hey hey... goodby

The only problem is, he's got 3 more years to muck up the SCOTUS, kill more innocents in some 3rd world country, abolish workers and civil rights. He can't go soon enough!

[jokerman93]

12. And don't forget

We have a national protest coming up in eleven days. As far as turning up the heat, it might get rather interesting.

[Carla in Ca]

13. We will be in Los Angeles!

My sign says 'Bush (in red w/bloody hand print) Is America's Greatest Disaster' I. Can't. Wait.

[jokerman93]

14. Yep

Wife and I are going into San Fran with bells on.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

16. This is a must-read column.

[LiviaOlivia]

17. kick